


Darkness

by TheMightyFlynn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cruciatus, Gen, Gen Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-14 02:43:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4547130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMightyFlynn/pseuds/TheMightyFlynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus craves the darkness</p>
            </blockquote>





	Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2015 Summer of Severus Comment Fest over at Severus_Fest on livejournal for the prompt "Cruciatus Curse." Check them out here: http://severus-fest.livejournal.com/

The world was dark. Nothing existed except the raw scraping of his voice in his throat and the constant, never-ending pain. Severus was only vaguely aware of his body twitching on the floor of Malfoy Manor, of his legs kicking out and his heels cracking onto the marble floor; of his fingers curled into claws. It was the darkness he craved. It represented peace, quiet and an end to his suffering.

“Enough.”

The word was soft and high-pitched, breaking through the fog of pain surrounding his mind. Severus twitched for a few more seconds before his body realised that the curse had been lifted. He took sharp, almost panicked breaths for a few seconds before the voice spoke again.

“Ah, Severus, my dear friend. How are you feeling on this fine night?”

The darkness was receding, leaving Severus wishing for nothing less than death. Every single muscle in his body ached with the knowledge that he had displeased his Lord. It had been a long time since the Dark Lord had decided to ‘gift’ Severus with a reminder of his precarious position at Hogwarts and by his side. His body was unused to such treatment anymore, but he knew he had to suck it up. If he did not keep going, everything would be destroyed. Taking a deeper breath caused his lungs to protest, but he ignored it.

“Much better now, my Lord.” His throat felt as though he had been scraping it with sandpaper, but at least his words had been understandable. “Thank you.”

“You will stand and face me like a man when you speak, Severus. Or do you need another reminder?”

Jerking his head in what could have been taken as a negative, Severus shoved against the cold marble floor. His feet slid out from under him as he tried to force himself to stand and he was greeted with the sound of a roomful of people laughing at him as he landed painfully on his face. Steeling himself for a second try, he clenched his hands into fists and shoved again. This time he actually managed to get one of his legs beneath him, but the other seemed to have no feeling in it at all. Using his hands to balance, he put all of his weight on his good leg and pushed himself into a standing position. Of course, his strength left him at that moment and he staggered, pitching forward at an alarming rate. A blurred mass of people moved out of his way and he managed to catch the bannister of the grand marble staircase before he fell to the floor again. The room spun and the darkness threatened to take him again, but he held it back through sheer force of will. There was no way he was going to give the Dark Lord the chance to humiliate him any further than he already had. A murmur went up behind him, but he couldn’t care what they were saying. Blinking the fog from his eyes, he pushed his arms straight and waited until he felt his knees lock before releasing the bannister.

The Dark Lord stood halfway up the staircase, watching his progress with what Severus had come to realise was his version of amusement. His red eyes glittered with malicious glee and his long, almost bone-like fingers caressed his wand in a virtually sexual way, but Severus refused to give him the satisfaction of using it on him again. Straightening his back as much as possible and meeting those cold red eyes, he offered as much of a bow as he could.

“I thank you for reminding me of my position, my Lord.” The murmuring went up again behind him, but Severus straightened and kept his eyes fixed on the Dark Lord. “I am grateful for everything you do for me.”

Standing and staring down at Severus, the Dark Lord seemed to be considering his next move. Severus missed the flick of his wand as the room spun again, but he heard the shriek that resulted from it.

“Draco, escort your Headmaster to the floo. I am done with him for the time being.”

Under normal circumstances, Severus would have refused any help, preferring to not show any weakness or vulnerability. This time however, with his muscles still twitching with aftershocks of pain, he accepted the shoulder Draco offered. It was obvious to Severus as they moved slowly through the lobby of the Manor that Draco was as terrified for his life as ever: he could feel the tremble in the young man as they walked. It was not up to Severus to reassure him, though. He barely had the strength to keep himself from collapsing; there was no way he could take him under his wing again. Especially with what he knew was coming.

“I’ll go with you; make sure you get to the hospital wing.”

“You will do no such thing, you foolish boy. You will stay here and serve your Lord, just as you have wished for so long.” Severus glanced to the boy beside him – yet another boy who had been forced to mature too young because of this war – and felt an unwanted rush of sympathy for him. “Your parents need you here, Mr. Malfoy.”

It was all he could offer and he was unwilling to see if his words had any effect. Pushing off from Draco's shoulder, Severus threw a handful of floo powder into the fire and rasped out the address. Stumbling through the floo directly into the Headmaster’s chambers at Hogwarts, Severus finally allowed himself to give in to the pain and despair. Collapsing in front of the fire, he managed to cast a cushioning charm on the hearthrug before he allowed the darkness to claim him once more. His last thought before succumbing to the blissful numbness was that he was leaving his life in the hands of a _Potter._


End file.
